Before looking for property investment opportunities in Dubai it is important to know something about the locality and its customs.

Dubai is the most populous city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and lies on the Southern coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula. You may have been led to believe that the Emirate is wealthy and that is no lie with most of the revenue coming from financial services, property investments, or real estate, and trade. A surprisingly small amount of it's revenue is actually contributed from petroleum and natural gas production.

Dubai is an Islamic state but is far less strict than most others in that women are allowed to work and drive, and indeed,

Women in the UAE have a much more liberal lifestyle than many of their Gulf counterparts. The UAE is extremely safe for women travellers, though they may attract unwanted attention in some quarters when travelling alone as this is still a novelty in the Emirate.

We must stress that to avoid hassle or risk causing offence, ladies should not wear tight or revealing clothes away from the beach clubs and resorts. Loose trousers and a long sleeved cotton shirt will suit a wide range of situations. Dubai has a tolerance to western attitudes like no other Muslim state but nudity, semi nudity and sex in public places are frowned upon and you will be prosecuted.

Whilst still on the subject of women travellers to the UAE we must mention that when being introduced to a local male they should wait until a handshake is offered before making the first move as there are still some devout Muslims who will not shake hands with a woman. But there are advantages for the fairer sex in that they are normally served first in banks and post offices whilst there are separate queues for the sexes in police stations and local government offices.

The malaria risk in and around Dubai is relatively small and malaria tablets are rarely proscribed for travellers to the UAE, however the mossies will find you if you are in the mountain areas during the evenings so you will need to take precautions against that possibility.

A brief note about medical and general health in Dubai: It is always hot and there is a considerable amount of glare from the sun so it is advisable to take good sunglasses, hats and of course high factor sun screen creams. It is advisable to take out general medical insurance to cover all possible needs as private hospitals and clinics are expensive, though public hospitals will treat emergencies free of charge. You will find that the standard of hygiene in Dubai hospitals is very high.

No page about Dubai would be complete without mentioning the opportunities for shopping until you drop. Dubai has been labelled the "shopping centre of the Middle East" and quite rightly so! It is a duty free shopper's paradise where you can get superb value for money. There are numerous shopping centres cater for all your needs with everything from cars to clothing, jewellery and electronic goods, furnishings and sports equipment plus many other goods all be likely to be under the same roof.